09 April 2012

Well there you have it! It’s official now that the results of the 2010 Philippine Census have been released by the National Statistics Office (NSO). The country’s population is pegged at 92.34 million (figure rounded).

This total was good for two years ago, mind. Taking into account the average annual population growth rate over the previous ten year period (2000-2010) of 1.9% and assuming that this growth rate remained constant over the last two years, then the current population ought to be in the neighbourhood of 94.09M.

The figures are not one hundred per cent accurate because of the difficulty in counting household members of informal settlers as well as the homeless. However, there is a margin of error of only one to two per cent, a representative from the NSO said in a morning live television program.

Because the official count as of May 2000 was placed at 76.51M, then the last census shows an increase in population of 15.83M over the ten-year period from 2001-2010. Population growth rate slowed down to 1.9% from the 2.34% of the preceding ten-year period from 1999-2000.

Before anyone brings out the pompoms to celebrate the slowdown by .44%, the growth rate of 1.9% is still considered high because the population base upon which the growth rate may be applied to make projections has also become significantly larger.

To put things in perspective, when I first started taking demography lessons in high school back in the early seventies, the population was pegged at 36.68M. Growth rate was 2.78% which the Marcos administration already thought alarming. Now, go compare the 36.69M to the 92.34M of 2010.

The 1.9% also does not compare favourably with those of some of our Asian neighbours: (Figures from the CIA World Factbook on Wikipedia.)

Thailand (0.57%)

Singapore (0.82%)

Indonesia (1.07%)

Vietnam and Myanmar (1.08%)

Malaysia (1.58%)

Cambodia (1.7%) and

Brunei (1.71%).

Of the country’s seventeen regions, Region IV-A or the CALABARZON is the most populated with 12.6M, even exceeding the NCR’s 11.85M. Here are the Top 5 regions of the Philippines in terms of population:

Among the country’s provinces, Cavite is the most populated with 3.09M; followed by Bulacan and Pangasinan with 2.92M and 2.78M, respectively. Here are the Top 10 provinces of the country in terms of population:

Cavite: 3.09M

Bulacan: 2.92M

Pangasinan: 2.78M

Laguna: 2.67M

Cebu (excluding Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City): 2.62M

Rizal: 2.48M

Negros Occidental: 2.40M

Batangas: 2.38M

Pampanga (excluding Angeles City): 2.01M and

Nueva Ecija: 1.96M

Hardly surprising, only Davao City, Cebu City and Zamboanga City are not in the NCR among the Top 10 cities of the country in terms of population. The nation’s capital, Quezon City, tops the list with 2.76M. Here are the Top 10 cities in terms of population: